The Latest BB/BBi Rim & Rubber Debate Thread

The rears are 2.6% smaller OD and 13.1% smaller section height than stock TRXs -- which themselves are slightly smaller than original 225/70-15 OD of 27.4". It's looking a little small back there. 275/45-17 would do the trick but no one makes even high-perf tires in that size, never mind ultra-high-perf.

 

those speedlines are very nice! what size are the wheels fr and r? what are the respective tire sizes?

where did you get them and approximate price?

best,

pcb

p.s. can you post a picture of your car w/ the wheels on the car?


Pete,
I have the same wheels and tire size. I bought from a previous Boxer owner who had them hanging around for some time after he sold his car. Even with 7 year old PZeros, the ride is night and day.

Newman has said he doesn't care for the perimeter rivet look, and I felt the same way initially. It has grown on me (or I am getting used to it) and I get many positive comments.

I found the only two good before and after pics for comparison.

I haven't weighed mine (I will try sometime in Dec.). But when I changed the original tires and wheels, it seemed to me the Speedlines were a bit lighter.
William
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Buzz,
I agree about the size and look. I haven't done my homework yet (I want to get new rubber sooner rather than later), but from what I know so far, good tires for 17" rims in the right size are very limited. Maybe an 18" rim will give better choices? The price was right on my used ones, so I just jumped on them. I don't know where I would have ended up if I was starting from scratch...

Right now this works and looks pretty good to me, but I bet with the braintrust here a great alternative will emerge. I am very curious how you experienced guys solve the problem. Good luck for all our sakes! I'll keep reading and learning.

William

 

Pete,
I don't recall the width's but I will check it out and let you know. As I recall I purchased them used some time ago. Not sure if they are even still available. I think they look great on the car and very "period". Most people think they are OE until I tell them they are not.

 

ok, looks like speedlines or image. i found the image website. but cant find those speedlines on any of the websites yet. do they still make them?

 

ok, am taking the plunge on the image wheels. i called them today and was all set to order 8.5x18 for the front and 10x18 for the back, but then the guy told me that strangely enough he had just received another order for a bbi but the guy took the backs as 11x18....so i said i woudl call him back. was it anyone on here? what do you guys think of 11'' wide in the back? is there clearance?

and then the other question.....what rubber has been settled on as the best bet for either of these sizes so that the speedo etc remains the same.???

 

Wasn't me, but realized a few days ago that we effectively have standard 5-lug wheels, into which the splined hub simply bolts to make, TA-DAAAAA!!, the knock-off. This opens up all manner of options, once we determine the correct bolt pattern and hub-centric-type center hole. From there, it's a matter of establishing the offset from the plane of the splined hub mounting surface. Unless companies like Neez and HRE are integrating the hub section into their wheels, that's all there is to it.
I feel kinda silly for not realizing this sooner.

As for the speedo error, there are tires with the correct diameters to stay within the OEM ranges of both BB and BBi (easy to find within this thread), so the speedo will remain just as creative as ever.

 

hold the phone! As i was looking at the image website, a buddy of mine came to look and said he had a set of 17'' wheels that looked just like the 'image' ones ! And he wants to sell them with the nearly new tires already on. So we went to look at them currently on his '86 tr. They are oz racings but i could not tell the width and we had nothing to measure them with. The fronts looked slim, probab;y 8.5, but the backs looked wide, and the tires even wider. The front tires are 235/45 and the backs are a whopping 335/35. He is going to find the receipt to see what width they are and get back to me. I would love to do this deal since it would save me signicant money and time, but need to figure out the size tolerance.
Here are the pics i took.
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offset is wrong, back to image you go!

 

can you elaborate pls?

 

The face of the TR rim is almost flush with the outer wheel lip. The boxer has more offset (a deeper looking rim) so the wheels will be in too far to reach the hub if you bolt the TR rim on.

 

you might be right. But i was looking at the pics posted by wnlast, and his offset in front looks similar to the tr rims, the back is harder to tell. I guess the only way to tell is to actually try them on.

 

Heres a couple of pics of my Boyd Coddington rims made for the Norwood car. I am posting an update on soon on rebuild/resto progress.
I am running 17x9 (245/40/17) and 17x12(335/35/17). This represents a 7.3% decrease in OD fr. and a 4.3% decrease in rear OD. Sure rides and handles beautifully and matches the h.p. output more effectively.
Michelin Pilot Sports
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what is the offset (in mm) on the orginal rims, front and rear. i dont have the car with me at the moment, but have to make a decision on these rims....anybody know?

 

The car and the rims are gorgeous. You got that custom made? Can they duplicate any rims in 17"? What kind of price range

 

thanks, if you pm me your contact info I will let you know as I need an inner rim half and am looking. I know that Boyd Coddington died recently so not sure.

 

original offsets? anybody?

 

He lost the rim company, long before he died........someone bought it though, I'd think it's be doable.....

 

OZ is making some current wheels with Ferrari applications, more like the 599 rims in appearance.

 

you were right. offsets not big enough. but i did discover a couple things. first 17'' is probably a better way to go since you allow a little bit more 'tire suspension' which will help the mechanical suspension survive the wheel change. secondly the optimum width are probably 8'' in front and 11'' rears. clears all the hard stuff, and fills the wheel well nicely.

 

ok, finally committed to 'image' order today. talked with the fellow there for a while and we came to the conclusion that ''17 diameter with 8.5 front and 11 rear was probably optimum size. no bolts to keep the classic look. satin finish, no chrome. comes to 1500 pounds sterling, without vat or shipping. it takes 4 weeks though, so i will be treading lightly on my 25 yr old trx's until such time.....

 

I am looking forward to seeing some pics of the Image wheels Ross when you get them. Have you looked into tire availability in 17". Suitable sizes seem to be pretty scarce here?
Steve

 

ok, update:
- i talked to dick fritz at amerispec. great guy. knows more about 512's than any man on earth. he gave me loads of advice as well as all of the documentation on my car's history. one of his comments was that the suspension, and halfshafts may not be up 18'' rims or any widths past 10'' or rubber past 275. but i had already ordered the 11x17 rims from image. diameter ok, width not so good, and finding tires to get to the original diameter proving to be very difficult.

- so after talking to about 6 different tire people in 5 different countries, i have concluded that the only way to get close to original od, is to buy the goodyear f1 gs-d3's rears in the usa (not sold in europe and on long backorder in the usa) and the same tire int he right size for the fronts here in switzerland.

HOWEVER. tonight i decided to go measure the od myself....it is only 26'' NOT the 26.73'' that was mentioned in the original post starting this thread. SO, now what? i have the original wheels and tires that came on the car from italy 25 years ago, and they are inflated correctly. all i can say is that either they were never 26.73'' or something shrunk 3/4 of an inch on all 4 wheels.

HENCE, i can now look at a wider spectrum of tires since my objective to hit od is now 26'', lots easier.

any comments?

 

Coker now lists the OD of the 240/55VR415 at 27.2". Mathematically, a 240/55VR415 tire should be 26.73 OD".

Squish factor (i.e. weight applied).....?

 

these work ok.
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